This invention relates generally to safety devices and more particularly, to a device for temporary use on scaffolding to releasably connect a worker to the device to prevent the worker from falling.
Due to the enactment of various safety laws, persons working at elevated positions, e.g., on scaffolding, etc., are required to be protected against falls. One common approach to achieve that end is the use of a safety belt which is worn on the worker's waist. The belt includes a D-ring or some other metal loop fixedly mounted on the belt in the center of the portion located at the worker's back. The D-ring is arranged to be "tied off" (connected), via a lanyard, to a fixed supporting member or anchor point. The anchor point may be any fixed portion of the scaffolding which is strong enough to support the worker's weight. The securement of the lanyard to the anchor point is typically accomplished by wrapping the lanyard at least once about a horizontally extending portion of the scaffolding. Thus, once the worker is tied off should he/she fall off of the structure he/she will be prevented from falling to the ground. While this technique of preventing falls is generally suitable for its intended purposes it never the less suffers from some drawbacks. For example, by wrapping the lanyard at least once about the anchor point the already relatively short standard lanyard (e.g., typically six feet in length) is substantially reduced, thereby severely restricting the worker's mobility. Moreover, if the lanyard is wrapped about a vertical portion of the scaffolding and is not held at the point at which it is wrapped about the member, it will likely slide down the member to the lowest point that it can. In so doing the worker may be exposed to a drop in excess of six feet, thereby violating OSHA regulations, before the lanyard becomes taut to preclude further droppage.
In my copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/129,536, filed on Sep. 30, 1993, entitled Connector Assembly For Use On Scaffolding To Protect A Worker From Falling, whose disclosure is incorporated by reference herein there is disclosed and claimed a connector assembly which overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art. That connector assembly is arranged for releasable securement to a portion of scaffolding on which a worker wearing a safety restraint member, e.g., a safety belt and associated lanyard, will be disposed. The portion of the scaffolding comprises a cylindrical section having a pair of collars disposed on it. Each of the collars defines a channel between it and the cylindrical section.
The connector assembly basically comprises an insert, first and second connector members, a strap member, and a reinforcing member. The strap member is in the form of an elongated flexible member having a top and bottom surface and pair of ends, with each end being in the form of a loop. The reinforcing means comprises a pad of a wear resistant material secured to one of the top or bottom surfaces of the strap. The insert has a pair of projections, each of which is arranged to be located within a respective one of the channels between the collars and the cylindrical section of the scaffolding to releasably secure the insert in place with respect to the scaffolding. The first connector member has a slot therein and is pivotally connected to the insert. The second connector member also has a slot therein and a hole for releasably securing the safety restraint thereto. One of the loops of the strap extends through the slot in the first connector, and the other of the loops extends through the slot in the second connector, thereby fixedly securing the first and second connectors to the ends of the strap.
While the connector assembly of my aforementioned patent is suitable for its intended purposes it never the less still leaves something to be desired from the standpoint of wide applicability since it requires that the scaffolding include slidable collars to which the connector assembly is releasably secured.